Farewell Legend...

Hey yaars,

I'd be remiss if I chose to not mention this past Sunday's World Cup Final. For all of you that know me, you realize I'm a bit of a football nut and was anxiously anticipating the final. After watching it, it's taken me a few days to really think about the man that is Zidane. And of course what the hell happened.

Unabashedly, I admit that I've been a fan of his since France '98, when I first saw him steer France to a victory over Denmark in the group stage of the tournament. And from France's victory in that World Cup to today, I've admired Zizou for his skill and calm temperament. Simply put, it must have been SOMETHING to have led him to flip like that.

From the various reports I've read, overall concensus was that something really nasty was said.

Simply put, I can see why he lost it.

After injuring his shoulder in extra time, it looks as if Materazzi made a point to shall we say "massage" the right shoulder to make sure he was as uncomfortable as possible. I'm sure many of us after getting injured and being taunted in a vile manner would resort to some form of violence. Regardless of why he should or shouldn't have, I can understand. We've all heard our fair share of "yo mama" jokes, but when your actual Ma is seriously ill, I can see how it would hit a raw nerve.

One of the things that's semi-bothering me is the complaints of some of the Italian fans who claim that the world can't stand to see them win at football and are finding a reason to shit on their parade. PUH-LEASE! Y'all do that EVERY TIME you get kicked out of a tournament! This time there's actual justification. Their Azurri were beaten from pillar to post for about 100 minutes of the game and only managed to be victorious because of ONE penalty miss. I could easily point to their "fluke luck" in getting this far as they dived their way past Australia. Only they could find a way to be sore winners.

Regardless of the hubub that's happened this week, I still respect Zidane for his game and for being probably the greatest player I'll ever see. He's won at every level, be it World Cup, Euro Cup, Champions League, Italian Scutdetto's, or Spanish titles. That's something you can never take away. As they say, legends live forever!

OK OK, this was a bit of a rant post I admit, but I'm still a bit sore over the game. I truly feel the better team did not win and am tiring of the incessant boasting by so-called Italians. These are the same people who speak not a lick of Italian, have little real links to Italy, and probably have never gone. I'd be amazed if they could name their team's starting 11 without flinching (I can do that and I'm not even a fan!). Let's see if these fans are still there during the Rugby World Cup, the Olympics, and the next World Hockey Championships waving their flags outside their cars.

Alright I think I'm done now. I do hope the Italians enjoy this, because them winning another tournament is as likely as me having that good ol' pig explosion pizza!